Before I jump into this week’s devotional, I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for all the support on this new little endeavor of sharing what the Lord is teaching me. I don’t always have time to respond to all of the comments, but I read every single one and they truly mean so much to me. I wish we could all get together at a cozy little coffee shop and just talk about God. Talk about life. Talk about what He’s teaching us lately and how we’re getting through the ups and down with Him. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! I would LOVE it.
So this past week or so I’ve been jumping around the Bible a lot in my reading. And one thing that seems to keep coming up is this image of seeds and soil. Jesus teaches about four different types of soil in Luke chapter eight and I find it so fascinating. Here’s the gist of this parable:
A farmer scatters seeds across his field. The field has different types of soil, some areas are really fertile and some are dry and rocky. Of course, the success of the seed depends on the condition of the soil–some of the seeds grow and flourish, but other seeds completely fail.
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.
The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”
Luke 8:11-15
I’ve read this passage many times over the years, but when I came across it this week these words really jumped out at me in a new way. And I started thinking, what kind of soil do I have in my heart and mind? What kind of seeds am I letting grow in my mind?
Then a few days later I was reading in Isaiah and I found another passage about soil!
“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word, I send it out and it always produces fruit…where there once were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; it will be an everlasting sign of this power and love.” Isaiah 55: 10-13
Here’s my takeaway: This is a message of hope. There is truly unlimited potential in worthless dirt. The soil of our hearts can be transformed, renewed, and re-energized with the word of God–nothing is ever too desolate for Him.
I don’t know about you, but I desperately want my heart and mind to be fertile soil. God’s thoughts are completely different from mine (Isaiah 55:8) and I want HIS truth to take root in my mind.
Unfortunately, just like the passage in Luke tells us, the enemy tries to take these seeds of life away from us. And he wants to replace them with his own rotten seeds–those that grow into doubt, fear, confusion, discouragment, etc. He doesn’t want us to see our identity in Jesus, so he’s filling our minds with weeds and thorns. And we all know that weeds compete with crop for sunlight.
These passages encourage me to uproot all my old ways–I want to rip out all the thorns and dried up weeds in my mind to create a new, fertile soil for God’s truth. The changes don’t happen overnight–I’ve found it takes time to get rid of those old stubborn weeds, some of which have been around for years. And some we may not even realize are there until we really start looking. But it’s time to get those out of there and plant new seeds. I want ears to hear and a mind to understand just how great God’s love really is. And then I want to LIVE like it.
Spot on! Thank you for sharing this encouragement today. May God be always changing us to be more like him.
That was a great message! Definitely hit home. I often wonder why the word is so hard to follow. Well, that it feels hard to follow and temptation just so easy?
Thank you for being you 🙏
I look forward to reading your devotional every week. Thank you so much for sharing.
Another great devotional for this week. Thank you for the insight!
What a wonderful message of encouragement and contemplation that I truly was grateful to reflect on this week. Keep them coming and appreciate you 🙏🏻
Thank you Sarah. I needed to hear this today. Many thorns are overtaking my heart and I need to address those issues and not just keep putting it off.
Love this!
JUST LOVE THIS ♥️
Thank you for sharing ♥️
Sarah you are SO amazing!! So sweet and special and beautiful and talented all in one!! Thank you so much for who you are, who you want to be, (even though you are already so good and wonderful), and for sharing with us and not trying to be like the rest of the world!! We need lots more people like you in this world!!
Debra, your sweet words just put the biggest smile on my face. Thank you so so much for your support and kindness. So grateful to have you reading my devotionals!
Thanks for reading it Melody!
Amen!!!
Thank you for sharing this insightful message. I look forward to your weekly devotional.
Thank you so much for reading them Rachelle!
I love this.
I love this♥️why is it so hard sometimes…. I need to try harder. Thank you for the inspiration🙏🙏🙏
You are a constant light in my life! I recently lost my husband of 35 years quite suddenly. My life has been turned upside down. I so enjoy your devotional posts and all your posts. You have become my favorite person to follow 😊
Oh Donna, I am so so sorry to hear that. My heart hurts for your and I’m praying right now for God to bring you comfort. Thank you for taking the time to read my devotionals, I appreciate it so much. xoxo
I look forward every week to reading your devotion. Thank you for sharing with us and always being so open. God is so good. You help put things in perspective that is easy to understand and makes me think about things in a different way then what I may have,
I appreciate that so much, thank you for taking the time to read them Jodi!
We get into our heads and create all these habits that are truly hard to break when they have been around for years and feel like our security when God should be our security! It’s so hard to remember this and put it into action everyday!
Thanks for the the reminder!
I couldn’t agree more Kris. We get so stuck in our thinking patterns and sometimes we don’t even see the weeds and thorns the enemy has planted in our minds, some that have been around for years. Time to rip those out and plant some new seeds!
The last sentence is key for me…..
And then,
I want to LIVE like it!
Amen
AMEN!!!
Thank you for this! I have been thinking about this parable all week since I’ve
read your devotional and also shared with my husband. Such a great message!
that makes me so happy, Kelly! I’ve also been thinking about this daily. So glad this devotional had an impact on you too. xoxo
Sarah, as usual you seem to get right into my head and life and send a message that I needed to hear. I am working on keeping my mind and heart open to the good word and in turn use them daily. Thank you as always for being a conduit to what I need to hear. You are a gift and I am so glad I found you, always, Julie Healy
So glad to hear that Julie, we are on the same wavelength! This year has taught me that I’v let way too many weeds and thorns grown in my mind. Time to get out the shovel and plant some new seeds!
Once again thank you Sarah for opening us up to Gods word. To help us all look at this differently and act on it.
I have many weeds that’s needs cleaning out and I appreciate you opening this up to us!
Praise God and blessings to you Sarah for all you do. Yes it would g be e awesome if we could all meet for coffee and talk about our God🤗
I agree Carol, I’ve been working on my own weeds and thorns this year too–some of which have be been taking up space in my mind for way too long. Thanks for stopping by!! xo
Thank you, very good inspiration.
Thank you for sharing! I find that the devil is always lurking to snatch away any part of good seeds we try and cultivate by reading Gods word. Part of his plan to plant weeds of confusion, doubt, fear, anxiousness, especially in this season that we are living in! We have to stay in His word daily and be in prayer consistently. God Bless
Yes, so true Sharing. He’s definitely working overtime to plant those seeds of doubt and fear. But we don’t have to let them take root!
Love you Sarah!❤️
Love you Julie! xo
Great encouragement! Thank You !